Haiku: GROUPTHINK

“The larger the group, the more toxic, the more of your beauty as an individual you have to surrender for the sake of group thought.” George Carlin, Last Words

Haiku: GROUPTHINK – Conformity can be toxic

Haiku: GROUPTHINK – Like an army of conformist ants

Jane:
A conversation…
between old friends, John and Jane
A discourse of sorts…

John:GROUPTHINK, what is it?
Conformity that excludes
Beliefs that persist…

When Groupthink rules us
Like ants on wicked warpaths
Restrictions prevail

While being in a group can have benefits, groupthink that is exclusionary is toxic. It limits, controls and eliminates any form of individuality and discriminatory practices run amok. Where do you see this in society?

“The tribe often thinks the visionary has turned his back on them. When, in fact, the visionary has simply turned his face to the future.” Ray Davis

Jane:
Migrating Lemmings
In a moronic death match
For the “good of all”

For this exercise, I have your proverbial John and Jane tell us what it means and what it can look like. I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in groupthink. Would you rather have others dictate what you should think without reflection?

More Below!

“We are not supposed to all be the same, feel the same, think the same, and believe the same. The key to continued expansion of our Universe lies in diversity, not in conformity and coercion. Conventionality is the death of creation.” Anthon St. Maarten

Haiku: GROUPTHINK – Like a tampered game of dice

Jane:
Competition lost
Comprehension minimized
Like tampered dice games

John:
If we think the same
Creativity will die
Diverse views muted

We live in a world were some thrive on this way of being. They can live that way but it’s not for me. What about you?
This post was inspired by a WordPress Daily Prompt: GroupThink -Write a post that includes dialogue between two people — other than you. (For more of a challenge, try three or more people.)

It is sad that their are so many groups of people who are just angry about everything. We were just talking about it on Friday. I told my husband that people are so angry because they are missing God in their life. Without grace and forgivness, our hearts go back to their evil ways.

Groupthink can be downright dangerous. I’ve never cared for it, nor conforming so much to a crowd that it becomes inevitable. It is always important to separate your views from other people’s and look inside to truly develop your own point of view.

Sometimes conformity is not avoidable but I always make a conscious choice to not conform especially if it’s going to be against my will. I’m not exactly a group think kind of person. I’ve always been independent and I will tell others what I think especially if it’s something that needs to be heard. Sometimes it’s difficult to have a preference that’s different from everyone else but nothing wrong with that.

This is totally an awesome post and it is truly inspirational. I totally love how you used this dice as an example which fits it to a tee. I have to agree that we can all be in the same think group or pooll. Thanks so much for sharing.

Recently, I was at a conference where the speaker (Bill Clinton) urged all of us to follow trend lines and not headlines. His belief was that the news was so biased and now so false that the only truth was in numbers. Freud also stated that there is greater diversity of thought within groups than between them and that it is group think that masks that diversity. I think once individual voices become lost and a collective group voice speaks for the good of all that we are swimming in dangerous waters.

I guess that I have always liked working in a group but I think it is important to be individual too. If you are having to give up your creativity or your ideas to stay in a group then that is not a good thing.

I love the statement about conformity. Like it or not, it does challenge you to think. Does conformity equal death? Or does conformity give people who aren’t individualistic by nature (because some people just aren’t… Myself included at times) a chance to come together to brainstorm something that gives birth to something unique and distinctive? I think there’s merits to conformity for those who’re not of the disposition to be individuals and/or need that group support… But I think there’s freedom for those who’re independent free thinkers in ditching conformity. Thanks for the prompt on this otherwise dull evening! – Jerusha,

You pose an interesting thought about everyone thinking the same. Variety truly is the spice of life, but it is pretty amazing what a group can do (like those gross yet mighty ants) when they work together.

I think it’s important to have individuality. I try not to be too different, but I don’t want to be ‘too the same’ either, if that makes any sense at all. I do find very different people fascinating though. I admire that kind of bold confidence.

Group thinking would contribute a lot of resolutions or ideas. It would give you a broad understanding of some certain predicaments or proposals. However if there is no unity and not on the same page sometimes it brings chaos to the group.

I don’t believe in groupthink. Each of us is unique, and being such, we should all be allowed to express our honest opinions, do what we feel we should do, and have faith in the things that we believe in.